The Netherlands is experiencing a sharp decline in the number of refugees and arrivals from the European Union.
The population of the Netherlands increased by 77,500 people during the first nine months of 2025, a decrease compared to the same period in 2024, according to new figures released by the CBS national statistics office. The total population reached 18.12 million by the end of September.
CBS reported that this growth is entirely due to immigration, as about 243,000 people moved to the Netherlands between January and September, while 161,000 people left the country. At the same time, 125,000 children were born and 129,000 people died, which is a balance similar to last year, meaning that the population would have decreased without immigration.
Syrians and Iraqis made up the largest proportion of new arrivals, although the number of Syrian asylum seekers has decreased significantly. The Netherlands received 16,600 initial asylum applications during the first nine months of 2025, a decrease of 33% compared to the same period last year.
The number of arrivals from India continued to decline, according to CBS. Similarly, the number of European citizens choosing to move to the Netherlands decreased from 29,000 to 21,000 people.
The most noticeable decline was among EU citizens, particularly from Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. These trends indicate that the flow of immigration to the Netherlands has begun to stabilize after several years of record growth caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other global crises.